


A Blonde at the Bar

by IAmTheBadWolf1990



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Dimension-Hopping Rose, F/M, Reunions, Season/Series 10, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-04 17:56:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10996002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmTheBadWolf1990/pseuds/IAmTheBadWolf1990
Summary: The Doctor finds himself at a pub with Bill and a few of her friends - which is a surprise in itself - but he is in for more than just a surprise when Bill convinces him to go talk to a blonde at the bar.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set between Knock Knock and Oxygen. Also, I suck at summaries, sorry.
> 
> Rated Explicit for Chapter Five only. If you do not wish to read smut, I have made sure that Chapter Four ends the story just as well.

The Doctor sipped at his drink and cringed at the taste of the cheap whiskey. Not for the first time that night, he wondered how he had let Bill convince him into coming to this cramped little pub. It was definitely not his scene. The drinks were over priced, the food… wasn’t too bad actually, and the room was full of young university students (which was to be expected seeing as the pub was just around the corner from the university) who were dancing to irritatingly chirpy pop music.

But Bill had insisted, saying that he had shown her his world and now she wanted to show him hers. And after the fiasco with the house that Bill and her friends had tried to rent, the Doctor had been more than a little eager to agree. He missed having friends who wanted him to be a part of their world. 

But that was before he had known that Bill’s world consisted of sitting in a dimly lit room, watching random drunk people hit on strangers.

So the Doctor took another sip of his drink that he had paid a ridiculous amount of money for and tried to ignore all the funny looks he was getting. Some people knew him from his lectures (some even gave him an encouraging smile) but most just made their own assumptions as to why a university lecturer was hanging out with a bunch of students who were a few decades (more like a few centuries) younger than him.

 _Finally_ Bill returned from the bar and the Doctor was saved from having to listen to her friend ramble on about whatever he was studying (art or music or psychiatry or something like that – the Doctor had stopped listening 30 seconds into the conversation). ‘Thanks,’ said the Doctor and Nick (Bill’s friend) together as she put the drinks on their table. And just in time too. The Doctor had just finished his current one and he got the impression that he was going to need a lot more alcohol if Nick started talking again. Bill had assured him that he was a nice guy once you got to know him but, so far, the Doctor just found him boring and a little bit too self-absorbed.

‘No worries,’ said Bill as she sat down next to Nick. ‘Where's Liz and Tina?’

Nick nodded to the dance floor where the two other people they had come to the pub with were dancing a bit too close together to be considered platonic. Bill followed his gaze and smiled at her two friends but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. The Doctor studied her expression for a moment; she didn’t seem as cheerful as she had been when she had gone to get their drinks less than five minutes ago.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked her.

‘Nothing,’ insisted Bill. ‘I’m fine.’

But the Doctor’s words had alerted Nick to Bill’s less than happy state. ‘Oh, I know that look,’ he said. ‘Got turned down again, huh? I keep telling you, that bartender is just not interested.’

‘Shut up,’ said Bill, though she did smile a bit at Nick’s teasing. ‘It wasn’t her anyway. It was just this cute blonde girl at the bar. She’s straight so I had no chance with her anyway.’

‘Then why the face?’ asked the Doctor.

‘She just seemed so sad, drinking alone. I think she might have just been dumped.’

This made Nick’s ears perk up. ‘So, you reckon she may be in need of a little company?’ he asked.

‘No,’ said Bill sternly at her friend’s sudden bout of enthusiasm. ‘I’m not going to let you go charm your way into her bed just for you to leave in the middle of the night.’

‘That was _one_ time,’ said Nick, defensively. ‘Okay maybe more than once,’ he added at Bill’s look. ‘But that was ages ago. I’m not going to go breaking her heart or anything. Just thought she might want a little fun, that’s all.’

‘Weren’t you seeing someone, anyway? David or Darren or something?’

‘Derek and he dumped me last week. So I am the perfect person to help cheer up this “cute blonde girl” that you speak of. Solidarity and understanding and all that. Where is she? Sitting at the bar, right?’

He made to get up but Bill grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. ‘Yes but I don’t think she needs a rebound guy right now. The Doctor should go talk to her.’

The Doctor’s head shot up at that. He had only been half listening, finding the contents of his drink much more interesting, but he had caught enough to know that it was something about heartbreak and rebounds and those things were not exactly in the Doctor’s area of expertise.

‘Me?’ he asked, confused. 'Why me?'

'Yeah, why him?' agreed Nick.

'Because _he's_ probably the only person in this bar that’s not going to try and get into her pants.' She turned to the Doctor. 'Oh, come on,' she said, obviously seeing the uncomfortable look on his face, 'you won’t even have to say anything, really. Just listen to her and fend off any drunk fuckwits who try and hit on her. Maybe try and convince her to go easy on the alcohol. She had just ordered herself a bunch of tequila shots when I left.’

The Doctor went to protest further but Bill shot him a look and he sighed in defeat. ‘You’re very protective of someone you don’t even know,’ he said as he reluctantly stood up and shrugged on his jacket.

‘Yeah, well I learnt from the best,’ she said with a knowing smile.

The Doctor coughed awkwardly to hide how proud he felt of Bill in that moment and then walked over to the bar. 

It wasn’t hard to figure out which girl Bill had meant. She was sitting at the end of the bar, leant forward over a drink, her long blonde hair covering her face. There were four empty shot glasses on the counter next to her. He sat down beside her and cleared his throat awkwardly, alerting her to his presence but not sure of how to start the conversation. The woman did not look up from her glass or acknowledge him in any way.

After a minute of just sitting silently, he gave up hope of her being the one to speak first. ‘That drink must be quite fascinating,’ he said. ‘You haven’t looked away from it for at least 90 seconds.’ The woman just shrugged so he tried another tactic. ‘Look, normally I don’t do this but my friend, Bill, insisted that you needed someone to talk to, so… do you? Need someone to talk to?’

‘I don’t need to talk. I need to drink.’ 

Her words was slurred from the tequila shots but the Doctor still recognised the voice in an instant. Even if it had been over a thousand years since he’d heard it, there was no mistaking the beautiful voice of Rose Tyler.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor just stared at the woman in front of him, not quite believing his own ears. It wasn’t until she had finally lifted her head to look at him that he accepted that Rose Tyler was sitting next to him. In a bar. In 2017. Blind drunk. 

This was definitely not how he had thought his night was going to go.

Rose downed what was left of her drink and called over the bartender to order another. The Doctor took the opportunity to take in all her features. Her hair was long and a healthier shade of blonde than it had been when she had travelled with him and she wasn’t wearing her usual amount of makeup. Though, she was wearing enough for him to notice the tear streaks down her cheeks. They were probably the reason she had been hiding her face.

‘What happened?’ he asked when he had finally found his voice.

‘I screwed up, that’s what happened,’ she said, taking her drink from the bartender. She gulped half of it down in one go.

‘Maybe you should slow down a bit,’ said the Doctor. Now he saw why Bill had been worried about her.

‘Why bother? It’s all over anyway.’

‘What’s all over?’ he asked, a bit hesitantly. Bill had said that she had thought that Rose had been dumped but that couldn’t be true, could it? The possibility of Rose making it back to this universe again was pretty low but the chances of his human-self leaving her were pretty much nil.

‘I was too late,’ she answered, half whispering. She turned to face him and the Doctor was confused to see the guilt in her eyes. He recognised that look. It was the one he often saw in the mirror. He never wanted Rose – he never wanted _anyone_ \- to feel that kind of pain. ‘The stars are going out and now there’s no way of stopping it. So we may as well drink.’

And with that, she downed the rest of her glass.

She swayed a little on her seat and the Doctor’s arm shot forwards to steady her. The jolt caused her jacket to slip slightly and something heavy plunked to the ground but the Doctor didn’t pay it any attention. He was too busy re-cataloguing every detail of her face. He could see it now. This Rose was from when she had gone hopping through dimensions to find him. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. Relieved because she would still get her happy ending… or disappointment because it wouldn’t be with him.

It was a few seconds before Rose looked down at his hand and he realised that he was still holding her arm. ‘Sorry,’ he said, letting her go.

‘It’s all right,’ she said and she bent down to pick up the thing that had fallen out of her pocket. He recognised it instantly as a Dimension Hopper. ‘This is just… a thing,’ she slurred, having noticed him staring at it. ‘Not important. Broken anyway.’ She turned away from him and let out a sniff.

The Doctor couldn’t take it anymore. He knew he shouldn’t let her know who he was but he couldn’t just sit there and let her feel this way. ‘Rose, look at me,’ he said and she reluctantly did so. ‘You haven’t screwed up. There’s still time.’

Rose snorted and then shook her head. ‘I always used to think I was good with that. Time. But I…’ Her sentence trailed off as her eyes focussed (well, as much as they could in her drunken state) and she squinted at him curiously. ‘You called me Rose,' she said at last. 'No one calls me Rose. I never tell anyone my name. Not in this universe anyway.’

‘I think you’ll find that you are not in the universe you think you’re in.’

She inched closer to him, staring into his eyes and the Doctor waited with bated breath as she reached a hand out to lay her palm against his chest. Her eyes widened as she no doubt felt the double heartbeat beneath her fingers. ‘Doctor?’ she asked in little more than a whisper.

The Doctor let go of the breath he was holding and smiled at the woman who he had never thought he would see again. ‘Hello, Rose.’

Suddenly, she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. The tightness of her grip almost had her dragging him off his chair but he managed to keep them both upright.

He had just wrapped his own arms around her to return the hug when she just as suddenly pulled away from him. ‘But you were dead,’ she said, tears forming in her eyes. ‘I… I saw you. They pulled you out of the Thames.’

‘That was in a parallel universe.’

‘But you said the Time Lords only existed in the one.’

‘Well, yes but that universe was sort of an extraordinary circumstances type thing.’

For the first time that night (and for the first time in over a thousand years) the Doctor watched Rose’s lips turn up into a smile. ‘You’re alive,’ she said and she flung herself at him once more. The Doctor ignored the funny look the bartender shot him and let himself enjoy the hug. He wasn’t much of a hugger this time round but he would always make an exception for Rose Tyler.

‘Well I am but I’m not,’ he said as Rose pulled away again.

Her smile fell. ‘What do you mean?’

‘That universe still needs to be fixed. And it will be. You’ll find a way to save me.’ Rose had that confused look again. ‘Like I said, extraordinary circumstances.’

‘This has already happened for you,’ she realised and the Doctor was impressed she had figured it out so quickly considering how drunk she was.

‘Yes.’

‘How long ago?’

The Doctor faltered… but he couldn’t lie to her. ‘Over a thousand years,’ he admitted.

Rose’s eyes widened. ‘A thousand years?’ The Doctor nodded. ‘I’m surprised you even remember me.’

The Doctor gave her a small smile. ‘How could I forget?’

Rose slowly reached her hand out to him again, this time towards his face. The Doctor closed his eyes as she brushed her finger across his cheek. ‘You got…’

‘Grey?’

‘Scottish,’ she finished and the Doctor let out a small laugh.

‘Yes. Yes, I did. Gives me an excuse to complain about things.'

‘You needed an excuse?’ she asked and the Doctor laughed again, a bit louder this time.

‘Not really. But it’s nice to have one.’

A silence fell over them for a few moments. Rose was the one to break it. ‘I wasn’t there for this regeneration, was I?’ She struggled a bit with the end of the sentence and her eyes had lost focus again but she managed to get it out.

‘No, you weren’t,’ he admitted. ‘Nor the one before it.’

‘But I did get back to you, didn’t I?’

‘Yes, you did,’ he said, not being able to hide the pride in his voice.

‘For how long?’

The Doctor’s smile fell a little. ‘You know I can’t tell you that.’

Rose nodded though her shoulders slumped a bit more than before.

‘Were we… were we happy?’

She seemed so unsure, so vulnerable in that moment that the Doctor knew he had to give her an answer, even if he shouldn’t. ‘I like to think so,’ he said, hoping that would be enough.

Rose gave him a little smile before she looked sadly down at the Dimension Hopper still in her hand. ‘But I can’t get back,’ she said, fiddling with the device. ‘I made that last jump too soon and it burnt out.’

‘Why don’t you let me take a look at it?' he offered, holding out his hand. 'I’m sure that I’ve got something in the TARDIS that could help.’

Rose handed the device over. ‘You can fix it?’

The Doctor smiled. ‘I can make it better.’

Rose’s lips twitched. ‘You think you’re so impressive.’

The Doctor chuckled. ‘I do, actually. And you know I’m right.’ 

Rose laughed at that and almost fell off her barstool again. ‘Easy there,’ said the Doctor, once again stopping her fall. ‘Come on, I’ve got some pills in the TARDIS that will sober you up.’

Rose allowed him to help her off her chair and the Doctor put a hand on her back to steady her as she swayed. ‘Maybe, you’re right,’ she said, her eyes unfocussed. ‘The room does seem to be spinning a bit.’

He started to guide her towards the door but was stopped when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see a very angry looking Bill. ‘You were supposed to stop men from taking advantage of her, not be one of them,’ she said, glaring at him.

The Doctor was just about to defend himself when Rose cut across him and gave Bill a hug. ‘You must be his friend,’ she said. ‘Thanks for looking after him.’

Bill patted Rose on the shoulder awkwardly. ‘No problem,’ she said, her glare turning into a look of confusion.

Rose pulled out of the hug and the Doctor figured introductions were in order. ‘Bill, this is Rose. She used to travel with me. A long time ago.’

‘Oh,’ was all Bill seemed to be able to say to that. Then her eyes fell on the Doctor’s hand that had unconsciously found its way back to the small of Rose’s back. ‘Oh,’ she repeated and then pointed her thumb over her shoulder to where her friends were sitting ‘I better get back. You two go get... reacquainted.’

She had a peculiar expression on her face and the Doctor stared at her curiously. ‘Okay,’ he said, somewhat awkwardly, not quite sure of what she was implying. Rose was holding her hand to her face, trying to stifle her giggles.

Bill turned and went back to her friends and the Doctor stared after her for a few moments before he felt Rose sway beside him. He turned back to her and moved his hand to her shoulder. ‘Come on, let’s get you sobered,’ he said and he led her out of the pub.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely happy with this chapter but it needed to happen so here it is anyway. I should point out that I never really liked the Doctor/River ship. But I did like River so I have tried to be nice. 
> 
> Also, I don't like Nardole. I didn't bother trying to be nice about that one.

The Doctor opened the door for Rose and followed her into his office at the university. The TARDIS stood in the same corner it always did. ‘So why are you lecturing at a university?’ asked Rose. The short walk over had not been enough to sober her but the fresh air seemed to have helped a little. She could at least stand and walk on her own now.

‘It’s a long story,’ said the Doctor, closing the door behind them. No sooner had he closed it, the other door in the room opened. The Doctor groaned inwardly as Nardole walked in. 

‘I was wondering when you would finally get back,’ said Nardole, distractedly, still reading the book in his hands. ‘Where were you, anyw-‘ He cut himself off as he looked up and saw Rose. ‘Who’s she?’

‘She’s a friend,’ said the Doctor. ‘I met her at the pub. Rose. Nardole. Nardole. Rose. Now that the introductions are done…’ He gestured towards the TARDIS. ‘Rose, shall we?’ He wanted to avoid any awkward questions from Nardole.

And he didn’t get any awkward questions. Instead, he got something much worse.

‘I don’t believe you,’ said Nardole, throwing his book down on the Doctor’s desk. ‘I can handle you hanging out with the other one, even if she does distract you from your oath, but I will not stand by while you bring just any…' He waved his hands in Rose's general director, ' _floozy_ home.’

The Doctor bristled. ‘She is not a floozy,’ he growled.

‘What would River say?’

‘She would tell me not to do anything she wouldn’t do, and, let’s be honest, that doesn’t cover a whole lot.’

‘Who’s River?’ asked Rose and the Doctor’s anger faded slightly. Partly because he was remembering his wife, and partly because this conversation was going to be _very_ awkward.

‘Professor River Song,’ said Nardole, glaring at Rose as if this was all her fault. The Doctor’s anger flared again. ‘His wife.’ Nardole nodded to the photo of River on the Doctor’s desk and Rose slowly moved over to it, her expression unreadable.

‘Not that who I bring home or what we do is any of your concern,’ said the Doctor to Nardole, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. This was his last chance to spend time with Rose and the annoying little man was ruining it, ‘but this just happens to be a business matter.’ He pulled Rose’s Dimension Hopper out of his pocket and waved it in front of Nardole. ‘Timelines to sort out. And besides, how many of River’s husbands were on Mendorax Dellora? At the _same time_.’

Nardole faltered. ‘Four,’ he finally admitted.

‘Exact- Hang on, four?’ The Doctor thought for a moment. There had been him, Hydroflax, and Ramone. ‘Who was the other one?’

‘Leeroy. Ship’s mechanic. You didn’t meet him.’

But the Doctor was no longer listening. His focus had turned to Rose who was holding a picture in her hand. But it wasn’t the one of River. It was the one of Susan. ‘Is this your daughter?’ she asked, her voice oddly quiet. ‘She’s beautiful.’ She put down the picture and wiped a tear from her eye. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so… It’s been so long for you, it’s good that you found someone.’ She looked up at him and smiled but the Doctor could see how forced it was. ‘I’m happy for you.’

Nardole seemed to have figured out that Rose was more than "just any floozy” and he silently left the room.

‘Where is she now?’ asked Rose, glancing awkwardly at the TARDIS as if scared of what she would find inside. The Doctor understood her sudden reluctance. Just a few hours ago she had seen him die and since then she had met this new him and discovered that he had a wife and thought that he had a daughter.

‘She’s gone,’ said the Doctor, sadly.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Me too. She died saving me. A long time ago. And that,’ he pointed to the picture Rose had been holding before, ‘is Susan. My Granddaughter. But that was from before River. Before…’ he trailed off, remembering the war and how he still had no idea if Susan had survived it.

He was brought out of his memories by a hand resting on his shoulder. ‘I’m sorry,’ said Rose again.

He gave her a small smile. ‘Anyway, let’s get this thing sorted out.’ He held up the Dimension Hopper.

‘Yeah,’ she agreed, but without the enthusiasm she had shown before.

The Doctor led her into the TARDIS and his smile grew a little at Rose’s intake of breath. ‘She’s changed too’ she said.

‘Do you like it?’

Rose walked up to the console and ran her hand along the metal like he always did. ‘I love it,’ she said and this time her smile was genuine.

The TARDIS gave a happy hum. ‘I think she missed you,’ said the Doctor.

Rose smiled at the ceiling and patted the console. ‘I missed you too, girl.’

The Doctor’s smile faded as he remembered that, no matter how right Rose looked in this room, she couldn’t stay here. Regardless of how much he or the TARDIS had missed her. ‘Workshop’s this way,’ he said, trying to make his voice sound cheery (not something he did often these days) and he led the way out of the console room.

They made a stop along the way to get Rose her pill to fight the effects of the alcohol and, once in the workshop, the Doctor wasted no time finding the necessary bits and pieces needed to fix her Dimension Hopper. ‘How you feeling?’ he asked after a few minutes. ‘The pill should be taking effect by now.’

‘Better,’ said Rose. ‘Head doesn’t feel as foggy now.’

‘The alcohol should be completely out of your system soon. Probably about ten minutes.’

Rose nodded and he went back to fixing the Hopper.

After another five minutes had gone by in silence, Rose spoke up again. ‘So what’s this oath that the other guy – Nardole, was it? What was he talking about?’

‘Nothing important, really,’ said the Doctor but he knew that Rose was no longer drunk enough to be fooled by his evasive reply. ‘A thing happened. Things do tend to happen and those things tend to have consequences. There, finished!’ He held the now fixed Dimension Hopper up for inspection. 'It just needs a bit of time to charge, say twenty four hours, and then you’ll be on your way.’ His smile fell at that. Just one more day with Rose. At the back of his mind, he remembered someone asking him what he would do in a situation like this and even though he had had centuries to think about, he still had no idea what his answer would be. He wasn’t good at goodbyes.

‘Time enough for a cuppa, then?’ said Rose and the Doctor couldn’t help but smile again.

‘Yeah, time enough for a cuppa.’


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, not entirely sure I'm happy wth this one (or at least, not the start of it) but I wanted it to tie in with Turn Left a little.

‘So, what do I do?’ asked Rose. She was currently leaning against the galley counter, nursing her cup of tea. The Doctor sat at the table, his own tea untouched.

‘Hmmm?’ he asked, looking up from the contents of his mug.

‘Once I go back. What do I do? How do I save you?’

‘Oh. I don’t really know the specifics and even if I did I probably couldn’t tell you but it’s all to do with Donna. You have to warn her about the stars going out.’

‘Who’s Donna?’ asked Rose and then she crinkled her brow as she thought for a moment. ‘There was a woman... when I saw-’ She faltered slightly and her eyes got that haunted look again. ‘At the Thames,’ she continued, shaking herself out of it. ‘A redhead woman. There was something weird about her. And there was something on her back. Something I couldn’t see but I just sort of knew was there.’

The Doctor nodded, remembering the time beetle. ‘It feeds on time,’ he explained. ‘It changes something in the host’s life and feeds on that change. And stopping Donna from meeting me changed a lot.’

‘She stopped you from dying that day,’ said Rose.

The Doctor nodded. ‘There was this big spider – a Racnoss – hidden underneath the Thames and I flooded it. Donna was the reason I got out in time.’

‘How?’

The Doctor shifted awkwardly. He really shouldn’t have mentioned that. He sighed in defeat; he couldn’t lie to Rose. ‘Just by being there, really,’ he said. ‘It was just after… just after I’d said goodbye to you on that beach. Donna just sort of appeared in the TARDIS and then things happened and next thing I know I was standing in a flooding room. Donna gave me a reason to stop. Without her I would have just stayed there.’

Rose put down her cup of tea and moved over to sit next to him at the table. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said as she put her hand on his arm.

The Doctor stared at her, confused. ‘Why?’ he asked.

Rose shrugged. ‘Dunno. Just am.’ She removed her hand and the Doctor fought back a complaint at the loss. ‘So how am I supposed to make sure she meets you?’ she asked. ‘How do I get the thing off her back?’

Now it was Doctor’s time to shrug. ‘She never really told me how you did it. Neither did you,’ he added quickly at his slip up. He couldn't let Rose know how short their reunion had been. ‘But I know you didn’t force it off. You wouldn’t be able to. It’s in a state of flux.’

‘I suppose I’ll think of something,’ said Rose but she didn’t exactly look like she believed it.

‘Rose Tyler, I know you will,’ said the Doctor, hoping to put as much assurance and pride in the words as he could. He wasn't sure if he had succeeded but she gave him a grateful smile regardless.

‘I’ve missed you,’ she whispered.

‘I’ve missed you too.’

There were a few moments of silence before Rose spoke up again. ‘So, tell me about River.’ 

The Doctor just stared at her, thrown off at her willingness to talk about the woman she knew to be his wife. 

‘It’s okay, I’m glad you had someone, really,’ she continued and the knot in the Doctor’s stomach loosened a bit. ‘So, was she nice?’

The Doctor let out a little snort at that. _Nice_ wasn’t exactly River’s style. ‘She was a good woman,’ he said instead. ‘Saved my life more than once. Tried to keep me out of trouble… actually no, that’s a lie. She usually got me into it.’ 

Rose laughed at that and the Doctor was relieved to hear that it was genuine. His smile faded. River had never really laughed like that.

‘But she…’ he started but caught himself before he could continue.

‘But she what?’ asked Rose.

The Doctor looked down at the table, the cold tea in front of him was much easier to look at. ‘I cared about her, I really did,’ he said. ‘But I didn’t… she wasn’t…’ He left the rest of his sentence unsaid but he was pretty sure that Rose had heard it anyway.

_She wasn’t you._

He coughed awkwardly to break the silence. ‘What about you?’ he asked.

‘There hasn’t been anyone,’ she said. ‘Sort of just buried myself in Torchwood. Didn’t want to get to know anyone. Eventually I made a few friends but I couldn’t… there was never gonna be anyone else.’

Rose placed her hand over his on the table and the Doctor closed his eyes at the touch that he had missed so much. Twenty four hours wasn’t enough. He wanted more time with her. He wanted forever.

After a few moments, he opened his eyes and turned to face her. He startled a bit at how close she was but quickly composed himself. He and Rose had never really understood the concept of “personal space”. He smiled at the memory of all those times he had held her hand as they walked or had hugged her a little closer than was necessary. He hadn’t thought that this body would have wanted that again but now he yearned for it so much it hurt.

Without thinking, he brought an arm around Rose’s waist and pulled her in for a hug.

She wound her arms around his neck and hummed happily and suddenly a hug wasn’t enough for him. He pulled away slightly and, ever so slowly, lowered his lips towards hers. She met him half way and the Doctor let out a sigh of relief as he kissed Rose Tyler properly for the first time.

They sat there, kissing each other tenderly for a good few minutes before Rose pulled away. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘Bit of an awkward position. My back is killin’ me.’

The Doctor rubbed his hand over her back soothingly. ‘I’m the one who should be apologising,’ he said. For her sore back. For not kissing her sooner. For letting her go in the first place. There were so many things he should be apologising for.

‘It’s okay,’ she said and she flashed him a tongue-touched smile. ‘Totally worth it.’

That damn smile had teased him for so long. But there was no use holding back now; he had already let the floodgates open and it was too late close them again. He leant forward and claimed her lips once more. She squeaked a little in surprise but returned the kiss in equal favour.

‘So,’ she said once she had pulled away again. ‘Twenty four hours left. What should we do?’

The Doctor gave her another quick kiss.

‘I’m sure we can think of something.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the last innocent chapter so for anyone who does not wish to read smut (which is basically all the next chapter consists of), this is where I leave you.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! If you do not like to read smut, turn back now. If, however, you do read that sort of thing and it's the whole reason you read this story in the first place, this is the chapter you have been waiting for.

Now that the Doctor had started kissing Rose, he never wanted to stop. It was too much and not enough all at the same time and he loved every minute of it. Rose hummed into the kiss, sending a spark of arousal down his body and he was suddenly desperate to know what other sounds he could elicit from her.

Rose stood up and, for a second, the Doctor thought she was going to walk away but instead she threw a leg over both of his and straddled his lap. Another one of those bolts of arousal shot through him and he captured her lips once more.

Rose broke away from the kiss and her lips travelled along his jaw. ‘Rose, are you sure about this?’ he gasped. He needed to be certain she wanted this. Wanted _him_.

Rose’s answer didn’t come in the form of words; her mouth was far too busy doing extraordinary things to the spot just below his ear. Instead, she ground her hips against him and the Doctor let out a groan as his already rock hard cock finally got some friction.

But he needed to hear her say it.

Taking a breath for resolve, he lightly took her head in his hands and pushed her away from him. ‘Please, Rose. I need you to be sure.’

‘I am,’ she said, reaching up and covering one of his hands with hers. ‘Never been more sure of anything.’

And that was enough for him. ‘Come on, get up,’ he said. ‘I’ve waited far too long for this for it to happen on a chair in the galley.’

An unreadable expression flickered over Rose’s face but she did as he had asked. Once they were both stood up, her trademark grin was back in place. ‘Your room or mine?’ she asked.

Well that was an easy choice. Even if Rose’s room hadn’t been closed off for a thousand years, gathering dust, the temptation to have her in his bed was too much for the Doctor. ‘Mine,’ he almost growled, taking Rose’s hand and leading her out of the galley.

\----

It didn’t take too long for them to reach the Doctor’s bedroom. Though they did pause their progress a couple of times when the temptation to kiss and hold each other had gotten too much for them. There was even a point where the Doctor had considered forgoing the whole bedroom idea altogether and just taking Rose against the wall but he had controlled himself. He didn’t want this to be just some desperate shag; he wanted this to be special. This was his last chance to be with Rose - in any sense of the word – and he wanted to make love to her properly.

At the Doctor’s insistence, Rose opened the door to the bedroom. He currently had a fantastic hold around her waist and had no intention of relinquishing it any time soon. Especially not when he found the perfect spot to nibble at just behind her ear.

Rose let out a low moan and leant backwards into his chest. The Doctor couldn't help but grind his hips against her. It just felt so good to finally be able to hold her like this. ‘Bed,’ she whispered after a couple of moments and the Doctor loosened his grip a little, just enough to let her walk comfortably, and she led him further into the room.

They had only made it a few steps before Rose turned in the Doctor's arms and fisted her hands in his hair. He let out a sound that he wasn’t particularly proud of (a mix between a yelp of surprise and a moan) as she kissed him fiercely. He tightened his grip on her hips again and walked her backwards towards the bed. A step before they reached it, he lifted her up and lowered her down onto the mattress. She scooted backwards a little so that she was on it properly and the Doctor crawled up with her. Neither of them broke the kiss once.

Eventually, Rose’s human lungs had taken as much as they could and she pulled back to gasp for air. The Doctor couldn’t help the smugness he felt at being able to do that to her. He brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. ‘I’ve missed you so much,’ he whispered.

Rose smiled up at him. ‘I’ve missed you too.’

He leant down and gave her a kiss but, knowing that she still needed to get her breath back, didn’t linger. Instead he trailed his lips along her jaw and down to her neck. About halfway through his exploration, Rose let out a gasp and he knew he had found the right spot. He gave the skin there a bit of attention, nipping and sucking until Rose’s ragged breathing turned into low moans.

Rose’s hands left the back of his neck (where they had been since he had set her down on the bed) and skimmed down his back. It felt amazing but the sensation was hindered somewhat by the fact that there were still so many layers of clothing between his skin and hers. Reluctantly pulling away from her neck, he sat up on his knees and shrugged off his jacket.

He had expected Rose to start on her own clothing but instead her hands went straight for his shirt buttons. In a matter of seconds, she had gotten them all undone and he shrugged the shirt off as well.

Rose ran her hands over the Doctor’s now bare chest and he spared a fleeting thought of gratitude for past-him from three hours ago, who had decided against an undershirt for the night. The tip of one of Rose’s nails scratched along his nipple and he decided he couldn’t take this teasing anymore. He needed more of Rose touching him. Right now.

He sat back a little more and grabbed Rose’s shoulders so she would follow him. Now that she was sitting up as well (though he was still straddling her legs), he tugged at her leather jacket. ‘Off,’ he said, urging her to help him. She didn’t need any more encouragement and a moment later it was on the floor.

Her shirt soon joined it.

The Doctor rubbed his hands over the smooth skin of Rose’s back for a moment before he lowered her back down, kissing her soundly as he did so. Just before she hit the mattress, he unclasped her bra and it snapped open. He pulled back to give Rose room to take it off properly and chuck it away.

For a moment he just stared at the beautiful sight in front of him. But soon the urge to touch and taste overwhelmed him and he leaned back down to kiss her lips as his hands slowly made their way to her chest. As his hand finally closed over one of her breasts, Rose let out a little whimper. He squeezed a little and that whimper turned into a groan.

God, he loved that sound.

Rose’s hands had not been idle during all this. They had been doing their own exploring, roaming over his back and chest. They had just completed their third circuit when the Doctor felt them dip lower and skim over the clasp of his belt. Her fingers lingered there for a moment and he pulled back to see an uncertain look on her face.

‘Can I?’ she asked.

‘Yes,’ whispered the Doctor (though it took all of his self-control not to shout the word).

Rose bit her lip as she slid the belt from his trousers and the Doctor realised something. 

_Rose was nervous._

He put a finger underneath her chin and guided her face up so that he could see her eyes. Yep, definitely nervous. ‘Are you absolutely sure you want this?’ he asked, worrying that she had changed her mind. ‘We can stop if you want.’

Rose shook her head. ‘I definitely want this. I want _you_. Just haven’t done this for a few years, that’s all. Not since I started travelling with you.’

That caught the Doctor by surprise. ‘Really?’ he asked. ‘That long?’

Rose blushed a little. ‘Didn’t want anyone else, I guess,’ she said, shrugging her shoulders as if what she had just said hadn’t turned his life upside down. She had wanted him all that time. Even back when he was all big ears and internal anger.

The Doctor leaned forwards and captured her lips in another searing kiss before pulling back, just enough to speak. ‘I didn’t want anyone else either,' he told her. 'From the moment you walked into my ship… I only wanted you.’

This time it was Rose who initiated the kiss and he moaned into her mouth. ‘You have me,’ she whispered between urgent kisses.

To hide the tears that were forming in his eyes, the Doctor lowered his mouth to Rose’s neck. And then her shoulder. And then her chest. He trailed his lips down until he reached her nipple. Rose squirmed underneath him as he lightly grazed the pink bud with his teeth. He smiled at her reaction and then brought his tongue into play, swirling it around the tip. Rose whispered his name and the Doctor quickly decided it was the best sound in the universe.

Not wanting her other breast to feel left out, he propped himself up with one elbow and brought his other hand up to give it some attention. He gently kneaded the soft flesh until Rose squirmed beneath him again. This time when she spoke, it wasn’t his name but it sounded just as good. ‘Need you,’ she gasped and he growled against her breast at the lust in her voice.

‘You have me,’ he said, repeating her earlier words and then brought his lips back down to her skin. But this time he had aimed a little lower than her chest. Rose’s breath hitched as he kissed his way down her stomach, not stopping until he reached the waistband of her pants. ‘Up,’ he said as he undid the buttons and hooked his fingers under the elastic. She lifted her hips for him and he dragged the fabric down, taking her knickers down with it. He hadn't meant to do that but he was by no means disappointed that he did. One less layer between them.

He began kissing his way up the inside of her leg but Rose had gone oddly quiet again so he crawled back up her body so his head was in line with hers, hopefully making her feel more comfortable. He had never thought that she would be shy in this regard. It was sort of endearing.

Experimentally, he trailed a finger up the inside if her thigh. ‘This okay?’ he whispered as he got closer to her centre.

‘Yeah,’ she breathed and, to prove it, she parted her legs a little, giving him better access. He leant down to kiss her just as his finger drifted through her folds. He groaned into the kiss. She was so wet already. Slowly, he dipped his finger inside her and Rose broke the kiss with a gasp. He used this opportunity to find that spot on her neck with his mouth again and her head fell back against the pillows.

After a few slow strokes, he inserted another finger into her and this time his name came from her lips in a strangled cry.

He had been wrong before. _That_ was the best sound in the universe.

‘God, you’re gorgeous,’ he whispered as he abandoned her neck and brought his lips to her ear instead. He pumped his fingers a little faster. ‘Are you ready?’ he asked. ‘I don’t think I can wait much longer. I want you so much. Always wanted you.’ He swiped his thumb over clit and Rose cried out again. ‘Was that a yes?’

‘Yes,’ she all but yelled. ‘Please Doctor. I want you.’ She wriggled her hips and the Doctor crooked his fingers to rub them against that rough spot inside her. ‘Now.’

Not being able to deny her anything, he removed his fingers (not quite being able to resist temptation to taste them afterwards) and undid his trousers. It was a bit awkward, but he managed to get them, as well as his underwear, off without getting off the bed or moving too far away from Rose. She giggled at his antics but he was quick to put an end to that with another kiss.

Now that they were both gloriously naked, he rolled back on top of her and ground his hips against hers. They both hissed as his erection pressed against her clit.

‘Please, Doctor,’ she begged and it was all the invitation he needed. Propping himself on his elbows, he positioned himself between Rose's legs. She took hold of his length (causing the Doctor to hiss again) and guided him to her entrance.

‘Rose, please look at me,’ he said. He wanted to be able to see her eyes as he entered her. But more than that, he wanted her to see his. He wanted her to see the love that he had never been able to say out loud.

She did as he asked and he pushed forwards, not all the way in but enough to bring a cry from both of them. Rose squeezed her eyes shut as she threw her head back and arched against him, making him slide in a little deeper. ‘Fuck, Rose,’ he shouted, not being able to stop himself. She felt so good.

‘That was the idea,’ she said, gasping a little and the Doctor chuckled before leaning forwards to claim her lips once more. She opened her mouth up for him almost immediately and his tongue dove inside, itching to taste every inch of her.

A couple of moments later, he felt Rose’s hips roll against him and he remembered that he was supposed to be moving. Pulling away from the kiss, he propped himself up on his hands and began to thrust into her, pushing in a little deeper each time.

A few thrusts later and he was almost fully sheathed inside her. He swore again as she bucked her hips against him, trying to get him as deep as he could. When she realised that that was as far as he would go from this angle, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer. He let out another shout, not even having the coherency to form a proper word this time, as he slid in even deeper, now buried to the hilt.

Putting his weight on one side, he lifted his hand to one of Rose’s and prised it away from his shoulder blades. Now with her hand in his grasp, he returned his hand to where it had been beside her head on the mattress and intertwined their fingers. He leant down to give her a slow kiss and Rose let out a hum of approval.

They stayed in that position for a good few minutes, rocking their hips against each other in a slow effortless rhythm. The Doctor couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this good. He wished it could last forever.

Rose’s spare hand let go of his shoulders and disappeared for a moment. The next time he felt it, it was brushing the base of his cock as she rubbed her clit.

The Doctor was torn between being immensely turned on by Rose pleasuring herself, and wanting to do it for her. After a quick internal debate, the latter won. He untangled their fingers from where they were joined beside Rose's head and then trailed his now free hand down her body. That debate that had been going through his mind a moment ago returned, but this time, it wasn’t so much of an argument but more of an agreement of terms. He could do both.

Once his hand reached the point where their bodies were joined, he covered her fingers with his own and pushed them harder against her. ‘Let me help,’ he whispered into her ear and Rose whimpered her assent. Together, they settled on a pattern and then Rose’s fingers went limp beneath his, letting him take control.

The Doctor picked up the pace of his thrusting to match the speed at which he was rubbing her. He needed her to come soon. She was making delightful little moans now that were sending spikes or pleasure right down to his cock and he didn’t know how much longer he could hold on for.

‘I’m so close,’ he groaned. ‘Tell me you’re close too.’

‘Almost,’ she gasped and he pressed down on her fingers a little harder.

He kissed the spot just behind her ear and Rose’s free hand shot up to grip his shoulder. Her nails dug in and the Doctor gave an involuntary sharp thrust of his hips. ‘Like that,’ she hissed. ‘Do that again.’ He thrust into her again, maybe not as hard now that he was doing it consciously but it seemed good enough for Rose. Her fingers gripped tighter against his shoulder and she arched against him. ‘So close, Doctor. Please. So close.’

The Doctor leaned in so that his lips were right next to her ear. ‘Come for me,’ he whispered. ‘My Rose.’

He felt her clench around him and he moved his mouth to cover hers, swallowing her screams as she climaxed. The feel of her shaking with pleasure underneath him was enough to bring him over the edge too. Moving his hand back to the mattress to hold himself up. He gave another couple of quick thrusts and then the coil inside him snapped. He broke away from the kiss and shouted Rose’s name as he spilled himself inside her.

After the aftershocks had faded, he slipped out of her and slumped forwards down onto the mattress, his legs still tangled with Rose's.

He let out a few big breaths, wondering where the hell his respiratory bypass had gotten to, before he was finally able to speak. But even then it was only half a sentence.

‘That was…’

‘Yeah,’ Rose agreed, her chest heaving with her own ragged breathing.

With a groan, the Doctor rolled onto his back. He was more than a little pleased when Rose rolled over to snuggle beside him. He tucked an arm under her and pulled her closer so that her head was resting in the crook of his neck. He kissed her temple and she let out a contented hum.

‘I should have known you’d be a cuddler,’ she teased.

The Doctor chuckled. ‘Actually, I’m a bit surprised by it. This me doesn’t usually like hugs.’

Rose propped herself up on one elbow to look at him. ‘Seriously?’ she asked but the Doctor was too distracted to answer. The way her hair fell over her bare shoulders… she was so beautiful. He swallowed the lump in his throat and lifted his hand to trail it through the blonde strands. He silently wished that this was how he could end every day.

Rose must have noticed the sadness in his eyes because she had that unreadable expression on her face again. ‘Doctor?’ she asked but then seemed to lose her nerve.

‘Yes, Rose?’

‘This wasn’t…. I mean, was this… We have done this before, haven’t we? For you, I mean.’

The Doctor’s hand froze in her hair. He didn’t want to lie to her but he couldn’t tell her the truth either. ‘Rose Tyler, I can almost guarantee that there will be a lot more nights like this in your future,’ he said and then he kissed her before she could see the sadness in his eyes.

The almost-truth seemed to satisfy her and he felt her smile against his lips.

She pulled away and then lowered herself back down against his chest. ‘Will I have to forget this?’ she asked as he started to stroke her hair again. ‘I don’t want to change anything with my foreknowledge and cause a paradox... but I don't want to forget either.'

The Doctor’s fingers unconsciously drifted to her temple but he quickly pulled them back. He couldn’t bare the thought of one of them not remembering this night. ‘No, I think you’ll be fine,’ he said and he smiled at Rose’s sigh of relief.

‘Can I tell you about it?’ she asked. ‘When I find you again.’

Another lump formed in the Doctor’s throat but he once again swallowed it down. ‘You can... but not until it’s safe to do so.’

‘How will I know when it’s safe?’

‘Trust me, you’ll know.’

Rose lifted her head and opened her mouth to reply but a yawn escaped instead. ‘Sorry,’ she said, giving a little embarrassed smile.

The Doctor let out a chuckle and used his hand in her hair to guide her head back down to his chest. ‘Go to sleep, Rose,’ he said.

‘But I don’t want to waste the time we have left,’ she protested through another yawn.

‘We’ve got almost a whole day. Plenty of time. And trust me, you’re going to need your energy.’ He trailed his hand down her body and gave her bum a squeeze. 

She let out a surprised yelp that turned into a giggle. ‘If you want me to sleep, that’s the wrong way to go about it.’

The Doctor grinned wickedly against her hair but moved his hand back to safer territory. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘Go to sleep. I’m not going anywhere.’

‘Won’t you get bored?’

He placed a quick kiss to her hair. ‘Never.’

Finally, Rose admitted defeat. ''Kay, but don’t let me sleep too long.’

‘I won’t,’ he promised and Rose closed her eyes and her breathing evened out as she started to drift off into sleep.

The Doctor resisted the urge to hold her tighter against him as he thought of all the times he had missed out on doing this. Both before and after the stars had started going out. He wiped his eyes with the hand not holding Rose and pushed those thoughts away. She was here with him now and he didn’t want to spend that time dwelling on past regrets.

Because he finally had an answer to that question that he had been asked, so long ago.

_One last day with your beloved. Which day would you choose?_

This day, thought the Doctor, looking down at Rose sleeping against him. He would choose this day. And once Rose had rested, he was going to make sure they made the most of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I got a bit carried away with this chapter and it ended up being almost half the word count of the entire story.
> 
> Thank you all for reading and commenting and kudos-ing (not a word, I know, but you get what I mean). I wrote this story mainly out of impatience and boredom and I really didn't expect it to get the amount of love it has done. So thank you for that and I'm glad you all enjoyed it.


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